This week, 10 volunteers returned tired but full of joy after ministering alongside our brothers and sisters in refugee camps in Northern Uganda. Seven volunteers came from Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Florida. One volunteer came from Montana, and I hail from Tennessee. Though we were exhausted from 35 hours of travel to reach the camps, the energy among us was palpable.
Together with South Sudanese refugees who are medical professionals, we provided medical care in two different camps to 797 people. Each day, patients heard three different gospel messages, and every patient met with a spiritual counselor after their doctor’s visit. Sixty-seven people received Christ for the first time, and hundreds more were encouraged in their faith.
All three weekly Children’s Bible Clubs met over the weekend, with a combined attendance of more than 2,000 children. Living Water Community Transformation is providing pavilion-style buildings for these Bible Clubs.
One building has been completed and was recently expanded. A second building has been constructed but has not yet been painted. It is already packed with children sitting on the floor because there is no room for chairs—or even shoes. A third building is currently under construction, as 700 children are now gathering under a large shade tree.
Timothy Logos Training Center currently has two classes with a combined enrollment of 92 Bible students from Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, South Sudan, and Uganda. One of the classes was in session while our team was there, and several of our male teammates provided instruction.
Pastor Alvaro taught “Planting a New Testament Church,” while Scott introduced “Farming God’s Way.” Brad, who arrived later in the week, brought lessons from “Where There Is No Doctor” and also led exercise groups for the Bible students.
While we were there, we were also able to open our computer lab to teach computer science classes.
I had the opportunity to join a chicken distribution for members of our Celebrate Recovery groups. LWCT has launched a new cooperative agriculture project to empower our C.R. participants with a sustainable means of supporting themselves. They are currently planting 30 acres of vegetables and grain.
I also had the opportunity to visit our LWCT entrepreneurs at a large market and see our new-to-us “Big Blue Truck” in operation. Each morning at 5 a.m., the truck transports our businesspeople and their goods from the camps to one-day markets in the surrounding host communities. The project is already proving to be both beneficial and sustainable.
We hugged and bid our refugee friends good-bye, until September, when we visit again. You can see that we have a lot going on in the camps. There are many moving parts. God is blessing this ministry in numerous ways. He is doing this through the generosity of many partners. We could sure use you as a partner. I know you will be blessed for doing so.
Your Sister in Christ,
Ann Rao, Founder